EU Trade Surplus Rises in June

The euro zone’s trade surplus with the rest of the world rose in June, according to official figures Monday, as an increase in exports outpaced a pickup in imports.

The data offer rare good news for the euro zone’s struggling economy, after figures showed economic growth in the 18-nation currency union stalled in the second quarter.

The trade data also highlight the region’s deteriorating relationship with Russia over Moscow’s alleged interference in Ukraine, where the government in Kiev is battling pro-Russian forces in the country’s eastern regions. Euro-zone exports to Russia, which were slowing even before the European Union and U.S. agreed tougher sanctions on Moscow last month, were lower in the year to May than they were a year earlier, data showed.

The euro zone’s surplus in goods trade with the rest of the world swelled to EUR16.8 billion ($22.5 billion) in June, compared with a surplus of EUR15.4 billion in May and a surplus of EUR15.7 billion in June 2013, Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, said in a report Monday.

Exports rose 3% on the year, outpacing a 2% rise in imports, the agency said.

The improvement in the region’s trade balance was driven by a rise in exports to China, the U.S. and the U.K.

Exports to Russia were 14% lower in the year to May than they were in the same period a year earlier, data showed, while imports from Russia were down 7%.

The decline largely reflects a slowdown in the Russian economy this year but trade with the EU’s eastern neighbor is expected to slow further in 2014 as sanctions against Moscow bite.

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency
trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.

MarketPulse is a forex, commodities, and global indices analysis, and forex news site providing timely and accurate information on major economic trends, technical analysis, and worldwide events that impact different asset classes and investors.

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities.

Opinions are the authors — not necessarily OANDA’s, its officers or directors. OANDA’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy apply. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. Losses can exceed investments.

OANDA (Canada) Corporation ULC accounts are available to anyone with a Canadian bank account. OANDA (Canada) Corporation ULC is regulated by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), which includes IIROC's online advisor check database (IIROC AdvisorReport), and customer accounts are protected by the Canadian Investor Protection Fund within specified limits. A brochure describing the nature and limits of coverage is available upon request or at www.cipf.ca.

OANDA Europe Limited is a company registered in England number 7110087 limited by shares with its registered office at Tower 42, Floor 9a, 25 Old Broad St, London EC2N 1HQ and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, No: 542574.

OANDA Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Co. Reg. No 200704926K) holds a Capital Markets Services Licence issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is also licenced by the International Enterprise Singapore.

OANDA Australia Pty Ltd is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ASIC (ABN 26 152 088 349, AFSL No. 412981) and provides and is the issuer of the products and/or services on this website. It's important for you to consider the current Financial Service Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement ('PDS'), Account Terms and any other relevant OANDA documents before making any financial investment decisions. These documents can be found here.